North China

Region

The old imperial heartland on the plains of the Yellow River. Beijing has the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall, and beyond the capital are the Yungang and Longmen grottoes, Pingyao's walled old town, Confucius's hometown of Qufu, the sacred peak of Tai Shan and the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Spring and autumn are best.

North China Summer PalaceTemple of HeavenTiananmen SquareLongmen GrottoesMing tombsNational Museum of ChinaMount TaiBeijing National StadiumShaolin MonasteryYungang GrottoesMount WutaiShangduYinxuSpring Temple BuddhaHulun LakeShanhai PassTiananmenWater CubeTaihang MountainsMount SongCCTV HeadquartersZhongnanhaiChairman Mao Memorial HallOld Summer PalaceNational Centre for the Performing Arts (China)Niujie MosqueWorkers StadiumJingshan ParkNational Indoor StadiumBeijingHailar DistrictTianjinChengdeDatongForbidden CityGreater KhinganGreat Wall of ChinaZhengzhouQingdaoJinanTaiyuanLuoyangKaifengBaotouYantaiQufuBaodingQinhuangdaoZiboWeihai

North China essentials

Country: China
Driest months: Dec-Feb
Pay in: Yuan Renminbi (¥)
Language: Chinese
Emergency: 110

Where to Go in North China

City Beijing BeijingCapital city with historical landmarks and culture City Tianjin TianjinMajor northern Chinese municipality and port city City Zhengzhou ZhengzhouMajor city in Henan province, rich in history Island Liugong Island Liugong IslandStrategic Shandong island with naval history museum History Forbidden City Forbidden CityImperial palace complex and Ming–Qing administrative center History Summer Palace Summer PalaceVast imperial garden and lakefront palace complex History Shangdu ShangduYuan dynasty summer capital ruins, Marco Polo's 'Xanadu' History Spring Temple Buddha Spring Temple BuddhaMassive hill-top Buddha statue and religious complex in China Nature Longmen Grottoes Longmen GrottoesRiverside site of thousands of Buddhist stone carvings Nature Mount Tai Mount TaiSacred Chinese mountain with ancient temples and inscriptions Nature Yungang Grottoes Yungang GrottoesAncient Buddhist grotto complex with monumental stone carvings Nature Mount Wutai Mount WutaiSacred Buddhist mountain complex with historic temples
Regions & Cities
Beijing Explore Beijing Imperial monuments dominate: Forbidden City and Tiananmen, the Summer Palace, nearby Great Wall sections, and tight hutongs with noodle shops; travelers arrive for history, markets, and Beijing’s distinctive regional cuisine. Hailar District Explore Hailar District In Inner Mongolia’s Hailar, winters bite but steppe and conifer forests surround the city. Tianjin Explore Tianjin A major port and municipality, Tianjin attracts visitors for its colonial-era Five Avenues, seafood markets and the modern Binhai district; people mix riverside promenades, local baozi stalls and museums that chart the city’s mercantile past. Explore Chengde Chengde draws people to the Qing imperial Mountain Resort and the surrounding outer temples, a spread of Tibetan and Mongol‑influenced monasteries; summer palaces, pine forests and mountain roads reward history-minded visitors. Explore Datong Centred in Shanxi, Datong is a gateway to the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple; visitors inspect ancient cliff carvings, the Nine-Dragon Wall, hearty northern noodles and coal-era city walls. Forbidden City Explore Forbidden City Inside Beijing’s inner city, the Forbidden City contains palaces, courtyards and the Palace Museum; visitors follow guided routes through ceremonial halls, imperial collections and then cross to Tiananmen Square. Greater Khingan Explore Greater Khingan The Greater Khingan range in Inner Mongolia features boreal forests, peatlands and rugged ridges; travelers come for hiking, wildlife observation, and seasonal snow landscapes rather than urban tourism. Great Wall of China Explore Great Wall of China The Great Wall stretches across northern China in multiple reconstructed sections near Beijing-Badaling, Mutianyu and Jinshanling-where tourists hike stone ramps, inspect watchtowers and study frontier defenses from several dynasties.

North China at a Glance

Local Time
8:01 AM
GMT+8
Population
370,227,082

Best Things to Do in North China